Catholic Churches of NCC includes: Saint Patrick Parish Seneca WI; Saint Philip Parish Rolling Ground WI; Saint Mary Parish Gays Mills WI; St James Cemetery Rising Sun WI; Kneeland Cemetery Seneca WI catholicchurchesofncc.com

Sunday, January 18^th, 2026     2^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

St. Mary, St. Patrick, St. Philip Parishes

Mailing address for all three parishes:  PO Box 35, Seneca WI 54654

Website: https://www.catholicchurchesofncc.com

Normal Monthly Eucharistic Adoration:

St. Patrick: First Friday after the 8:30 AM Mass

St. Philip: First Sunday after the 10:30 AM Mass

Confessions: Normally, 30 minutes before every Mass and by appointment.

Mass Intentions This Week

Pastor: Fr. Tom Huff – Rectory 608-734-3252 email: frtomhuff@gmail.com

Bookkeeper, Bulletin, Mass Intentions: Kevin Murray 608-391-0434 or 608-734-3931

or email: secretary@ncc.diolcparish.org

Membership: Yvonne Hady 608 485-2109 email: hadyy@mwt.net

New Bulletin Information Deadline: Mondays at 6:00 PM. Bulletin is posted on our website.

UPCOMING PARISH EVENTS

Adult Faith Study at St. Mary is on Tuesday January 20th at 1:30pm

St. Philip Announcements:

St. Philip Candles: Contact Bonnie Murphy. The cost is $5 per candle.

Food Pantry items are needed. Please leave any gift at the rear of the Church.

We will be taking down Christmas Decorations Monday Jan. 19^th at St Philips. Any help would be appreciated. Please contact Amy Murphy with any questions at: 608-872-2505

St. Mary Announcements:

Eucharistic Adoration: January is the month we celebrate Right to Life, with a special Day of Prayer dedicated to the Life of the Unborn, and, especially, for those who are considering ending a life. We pray that they may receive guidance from our Lord to seek caring counselors for healing and support. Please join us in prayer at our Eucharistic Adoration at St. Mary's on January 24^th, from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM. Father Tom will hear Confession at 2:30, with Benediction at 3:00 PM. Sign up sheets are at the back of our churches. Please pray with us....God Bless

Rosary – 30 minutes before Mass

First Sunday Potluck Brunch after Mass each first Sunday of the month. All are welcome, dish to share is appreciated, but not required. Next potluck is Sunday, Feb. 1^st.

Saint Mary’s is open 7:00am – 6:00pm (winter hours) daily. Please feel free to come and pray and light a candle if you would like.

Food Pantry Donations can be left in the basket in the rear of the Church.

St. Patrick Announcements:

In need of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion! Anyone willing to volunteer your time to be an Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion Saturday nights or Sunday mornings please text or call Sue Boland @ 608-851-0192.

Volunteers needed for praying the Rosary prior to the weekend Masses! If you would like to share in your devotion to the Rosary, please, consider being in the weekly rotation. Each volunteer can pray the Rosary starting approximately 20 min prior to Mass. For each weekend assigned, you can choose the Mass; Saturday evening OR Sunday morning,
depending on your schedule needs that weekend.

If interested in being on the rotation schedule, please, contact Anne Johnson at: home 608-874-4298 ; cell 608-412-1848 ; or by e-mail: waffetti2003@gmail.com Thank you to all those serving the parish in our current and past rotations! God bless you all!

Tri-Parish Announcements:

We need more Mass Intentions for All Parishes

Youth Envelopes: If the youth members of our parishes would like their own youth envelopes for giving to the Church let us know. Youth envelopes are available. Please contact Kevin if you are interested.

2026 Donation Envelopes are available now. The envelopes do really help us here in the office and are a good reminder for special collections throughout the year. If you do not receive envelopes currently and would like to, please contact Kevin Murray 608-391-0434 or 608-734-3931 email: secretary@ncc.diolcparish.org

The Weekly Bulletin Email will no longer contain a copy of the bulletin as an attachment. Instead the email will contain a link to the bulletin page of our website. The bulletin page of our website is updated weekly on Fridays. We have had a numbers of problems with people receiving this email. If you would like to receive an email with the Weekly Parish Bulletin link; please email secretary@ncc.diolcparish.org and you will be added to the email list. Here is the web address that is the link to the Weekly Parish Bulletin:https://www.catholicchurchesofncc.com/bulletins

Other Announcements:

None at this time.

                                                                 Income from Last Week

From the Priest’s Corner:  Why didn't John the Baptist recognize Jesus at the Jordan River?

After John describes his account of the spirit coming down upon Jesus, he says I myself did not know him (Jesus). How could that possibly be since John and Jesus are cousins? Saint John Chrysostom pointed out that John the Baptist had lived in the desert all his life, even as a very young child. He was raised by a celibate community of men living in the desert called the Essenes. They were religious men dedicated to God who practiced fasting, prayer, and the reading and studying of Scriptures, similar to a Catholic monastic community. Some children were also given by their parents to the large community of holy men and women living within the temple precincts in Jerusalem. These children would be raised and educated and do manual work as well. This was a common practice among the Jewish people as we see in the case of Samuel and even Mary, the mother of Jesus. John grew up in the desert apart from his family and would not have know his cousin Jesus by sight.

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem pointed out that John was telling the truth when he said: I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God. He did not know his cousin, by sight. He knew Him to be the Messiah only by divine revelation through the appearance of the Holy Spirit.

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem believed that God separated John and Jesus as young children so that John had no idea that Jesus was his cousin when they met at the Jordan River some 30 years later. This was to show that John's identification of Jesus as Messiah and the Sacrificial Lamb of God, was solely through the revelation of the Holy Spirit.

John is bearing witness to the fact that the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus and will be the One who will baptizes with the Holy Spirit. As John says elsewhere, there is one who is to come who is mightier than I... I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal. I baptize you with water, he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the One that the prophets had foretold. He is the Messiah, He is the Lamb of God, He is the Savior of the world Who takes away the sins of the world.

DIVINE MERCY IN MY SOUL - St. Faustina writes: I often feel God’s presence after Holy Communion in a special and tangible way. I know God is in my heart…I live in Him and He in me. I am never alone, because He is my constant companion. (Diary, 318)

Tri-Parish Prayer List – We want to pray for the ill and others in our parishes who need ongoing prayer. To be placed on or to place someone on our prayer list, please call: Sue Peterson 608-735-4865, Bonnie Murphy 608-386-4954, or Ica Boylen 608-734-3287.

What is the Nicene Creed and What Does it mean for Catholics?

A creed is an authorized and authentic summary of the Christian faith that symbolizes the beliefs of the Church. A creed signifies reception and membership into the Church and community. When we recite a creed, we strengthen our beliefs and enrich our personal and communal identity with Christ.

Who Wrote the Catholic Nicene Creed?

The original Nicene Creed dates back to 325 at the First Council of Nicaea, the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church that met in ancient Nicaea, now known as Iznik, Turkey. Emperor Constantine I called the council, presiding over the opening session and participating in the discussion.

Constantine hoped a council would help solve the issues resulting from Arianism, a heresy proposed by Arius of Alexandria suggesting Christ was not divine but a created being. The council quickly condemned Arius and incorporated the word “homoousios,” meaning “of one substance,” into a creed, signifying the equality of the Son with the Father. Constantine exiled Arius for his heretical beliefs.

While the Council of Nicaea promulgated the Creed of Nicaea in 325, the Council of Constantinople in 381 expanded it. The goal was to bring the Creed of Nicaea up to date regarding new heresies related to the Incarnation of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, which arose after the Council of Nicaea.